The Open University, July 2024
University of Sanctuary
The OU has been recognised as a University of Sanctuary. A University of Sanctuary should be a place where anyone can feel safe, welcome and able to pursue their right to education. Awarded organisations need to:
- Learn about what it means to be seeking sanctuary, in general and at a university. This encompasses any activity on training staff, teaching students or holding events to raise awareness on what it means to be seeking sanctuary.
- Take positive action to embed concepts of welcome, safety and inclusion within the institution and the wider community. This involves ensuring that a sustainable culture of welcome is established within the institution to bring about far reaching, tangible and long-lasting changes.
- Share the university’s vision, achievements, what they have learned and good practice, with other universities, the local community, the media and others.
- Reach out to and support refugees in their local communities who could benefit from University resources in a sustainable way.
- Undertake activities to nurture a culture of welcome and an inclusive atmosphere within their institutions such as among staff and students.
- Do everything possible to secure equal access to higher education for refugees.
Find out more about the OU as a City of Sanctuary. The OU also has some Open Futures Sanctuary Scholarships available: apply before 2 August.
New publication
Thais de Carvalho, ‘The cascading effects of climate change on children: extreme floods, family mobility and child well-being in Amazonia’ was published by Climate & Development and spotlighted in the ‘research highlights’ section of Nature Climate Change. The research reflects on the importance of a more nuanced understanding of children’s climate risk and presents potential directions for attending to relational precarity in climate programming. The Nature comment on the research is also available.
DSA Thesis Prize
OU alumna Dr Anna Colom Miras was highly commended in the DSA thesis prize. Full details.